UM Hoops.com

A bit of an abbreviated version due to holidays and a Monday night game.

Commits

Darius Morris

Windward cruised through the Windward Classic with wins over Sierra Canyon (56-39), Cleveland (51-38), Price, and Vista (76-62). More scouting from commenter WTHEF:

Darius’ team won their own tournament by beating Price on Friday (not sure on score – they were up about 15 heading into the 4th) and Vista on Saturday, 76-62. Darius made the All-Tournament team – Denzel’s son, Malcolm was MVP which would be akin to Grady being called our MVP of the non-conf season. While you could see Darius’ ability on Wednesday – he was finishing those same moves on Friday against Price. I would guess he ended up with 20+ points.

In the Championship game they played Vista who I saw destroy a team Wednesday, 74-36, and was fairly merciless in doing so. They have 2 very athletic guys that are 6’6 and 6’4 and a fast 5’9 guard that can fill it up from deep – 24 on Wednesday and 19 on Friday. Darius was primarily covered by the 6’4 guy and had responsibility for covering the 5’9 guy – who ran him all over the court. He stayed with him though and held the kid to 5-17 shooting and 12 points (most of which came when Darius wasn’t in the game). They were running a lot and Darius often led the break and made some nice passes – several to their 6’5 sophomore forward, Wesley Saunders – who did a great job of finishing and had 19 points at the half. In the second half, Darius asserted himself more offensively – mainly with drives to the hoop and he finished with 21 points. The highlight of the game was a brilliant alley-oop he threw to UCLA-bound teammate, Anthony Stover for a nasty dunk. The PA announcer called it as “Michigan to UCLA for the alley-oop” – quite a bit better than the “the Wright stuff” call that we are used to in Ann Arbor.

After having seen Darius play in three games now – my thoughts are similar to when I saw him the first time. He is an excellent ball handler and distributor. When he drives he is looking to pass but with his size, he is effective at finishing. He is athletic and acrobatic in the air and makes some difficult finishes look easy. He has a great looking shot and plenty of range from 3. I only saw him take 2 shots in the 3 games that weren’t from 3 or within 3 feet of the basket, so he might need work on his mid-range game. My guess is its more of a function of him being able to get to the basket at will so there is no need to pull up. He picked up a couple offensive fouls that I think had more to do with the level of the competition (ex. setting a screen he knocks over a 140 pound kid and the ref calls it). I would have also liked to have seen him dunk the ball on the break or when finishing (he had only one dunk attempt – it went off the back off rim). For his athleticism, I wonder if he isn’t a great leaper or it could be that he needs to get back into basketball shape – or just he prefers to lay it in. I think the upcoming tournaments against top competition – Max Prep and Pangos Classic – will reveal more about his game.

Matt Vogrich

Matt Vogrich led Lake Forest through a couple of easy wins over Mundelein (72-52) and Stevenson (57-33). Matt had 26 points and 8 boards against Mundelein and also led Lake Forest with 14 over Stevenson. Don’t miss the Matt Vogrich scouting report from posted last week.

Lake Forest is 7-2 thus far and has the State Farm Holiday Classic coming up after Christmas.

Blake McLimans

Worcester had a busy week that included a win over Tabor Academy as well as a big upset of St. Marks. McLimans had 13 points including three triples in the 65-41 win over Tabor.

Worcester just edged St. Marks and former Michigan recruit Nate Lubick in a 90-87 thriller.  2010 shooting guard target Austin Carroll added 29 points (5 threes) in the win over St. Marks.  Blake posted 8 points in the game while St. Marks stars Erik Murphy (Florida) and Nate Lubick (Georgetown) posted 26 and 20 respectively.

Worcester is on break over the holidays and won’t be in action again until 1/10/09.

2010 Targets

Moses Morgan

See scouting report

Trey Zeigler

Mt. Pleasant went 0-2 this week but Zeigler still put up solid numbers. Trey had 26 points, 15 boards, and 3 assists in a 62-56 loss to Gaylord on Tuesday. Thursday night in a 76-63 loss to Saginaw Heritage Zeigler managed 28 points and 7 boards including 20 points in the second half.

Alex Dragicevich

Dragicevich is the newest wing on Michigan’s radar (see Rivals article $). The big two guard is a smooth player with a sweet stroke who attends the same high school as Duke’s Jon Scheyer.

Highland Park resorted to a box-and-one to shut Alex down on Friday and managed to hold him scoreless for the first quarter but Glenbrook North won the game 49-23. Dragicevich had only 8 points (short of his 24 ppg average) but added 8 rebounds.

Tim Hardaway Jr.

In a 4 point win over Miami Dade Hardaway Jr. had a monster game including 20 points with 4 three pointers and 15 boards. Hardaway Jr. also had 8 points including a triple in a 61-41 win over Miami Springs.

Palmetto plays next in the Hoopla @ Vero Beach on 12/27.

Cameron Ayers

Ayers had a quiet week with 9 points in a blowout win over Hatboro-Horsham.

Allen Payne

Payne had 13 points in Winton Woods’ 68-47 win over Harrison High School.

Michael Talley

Talley is a bit of a plan B for the class of 2009 but Mike Talley III had a monster game this weekend. Talley posted 44 points and 8 assists for Melvindale ABT in a 87-49 win.  The issue with Talley is that he is still limited by his 5-9 size.

Will Regan

Nichols was off this week but will be back in action 12/27 at the NHSCA High School Basketball Festival.

2011 Targets

Brandan Kearney & Percy Gibson

The Southeastern duo took on Detroit Community and Providence bound big man James Still. Kearney played a typical all around game with 6 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals but it was Percy Gibson who stole the show:

Gibson was quiet for most of the first half but he came out in the second half aggressive and went right to work. The 12-0 run in the second, in which Gibson scored 7 straight, was the difference maker in the game. Gibson’s dunk was impressive- he squared up, took two hard dribbles, and elevated right over his defender for the two hand slam. The sophomore finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds.

Gibson and Kearney are only sophomores but are clearly establishing themselves as some of the top 2011 recruits in the state.

Matt Poches

The sophomore scorer had a solid week leading Hartland to two wins. Poches had 12 points and 10 rebounds in a 76-53 win over Adrian. His big game was Saturday against Dexter, Poches scored 27 points including 13 in the first quarter of a 82-58 Hartland win. Hartland got out to a 35-10 lead thanks to three early triples from Poches who also pulled down 12 rebounds.

Commits

Darius Morris

Windward got off to a slow start with a 2-2 record but they bounced back with a 64-44 win over Inglewood last week. Morris seems to have really gotten going as well, he scored 31 points and added 5 assists and 3 steals for Windward.

I got an e-mail from the folks at Ball Is Life and they told me that the Westchester team that beat Windward has been dominant early on in California. Westchester is 9-0 with an average margin of victory over 25 points and has handled all challengers including Michael Snaer‘s (#11 in class of 2009) Rancho Verde squad. Beyond the Westchester game people in California basketball circles feel that Darius has been playing better than last year thus far. Windward is also ranked #12 in the latest LA Times poll.

The holidays will be big for Darius and Windward as they head to two big tournaments, the Max Preps Classic at Torrey Pines as well as the always loaded Pangos Dream Classic.

Matt Vogrich

As I touched on earlier this week, Vogrich had a huge game Wednesday, scoring 39 points and adding 9 rebounds against Illinois bound Brandon Paul.

Lake Forest rolled over Palatine Friday night with a 65-29 win. Palatine was not in the same league as Lake Forest and Vogrich put up an easy 20 points in the win. Matt and his teammate Mitch Hopfinger had every Lake Forest point until the 3 minute mark of the 3rd quarter.

Jordan Morgan

I posted an update earlier in the week about Jordan’s first game, a matchup with Providence bound big man James Still. Morgan had a rough night and was ejected on a technical foul for hanging on the rim.

U-D Jesuit was back in action Saturday but took a loss to Renaissance, 77-62. Morgan was suspended from his ejection earlier in the week.

Blake McLimans

Worcester Academy lost to St Thomas Monday night by a score of 66-57 but came back and beat Brewster Academy on Thursday, 80-71.

Blake didn’t show up in the high scores but still seems to be adjusting to playing with a new team in a new system. The reports I have gotten are that Blake has played very good defense early on. I’m also working on getting some film so keep an eye out for that.

2009 Prospects

Michigan is out of scholarships in 2009 but I think they will keep recruiting a couple guys to some extent. Anything can happen and it’s worth it to keep options open. Riley is back on the market, Anali is a new name, and we have talked about Angus Brandt before. I think the odds are probably slim that any of these guys end up at Michigan but they are worth mentioning.

DaShonte Riley

Riley is a long shot in the class of 2009 but he’s worth mentioning. Country Day rolled past Ann Arbor Pioneer on Friday night by a score of 80-56 and Riley posted a career high 19 rebounds.

Anali Okoloji

Northstar Basketball has an update on Anali Okoloji, a combo forward from New York. Okoloji seems to be a borderline high major player and his offers right now are from St. Bonaventure, La Salle, Albany, and Central Connecticut State. However Okoloji lists his favorite as Michigan and expects an offer:

“My favorite right now is Michigan. I am feeling [good about] Oregon State, Binghamton, and St. Bonaventure.”

Okoloji, who said his school “list is growing,” informed me that Oregon State, North Carolina State, Michigan, and Binghamton are the most recent schools starting to recruit him, and he added, “When I take my SAT and ACT, offers will start to flow.” Anali added that “Michigan is going to offer. They are just waiting on my SAT.” As well, he told me that there are more schools on his list, but he could not think of them all.”

Seems like a long shot, and maybe there is some outdated information in regards to the likely offer but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

2010 Prospects

Trey Zeigler

The talented wing is off to a great start this week and helped Mt. Pleasant knock off Bay City Western 63-61. Trey poured in 34 points as well as 15 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks. Next Gen Sports on Zeigler’s performance:

Defensively he completely took away the smaller but faster Arnold, Western’s point guard. Zeigler scored with dunks, 3-pointers, and variety of mid-rage jumpers from every angle.

Definitely a great start for Zeigler who will look to really take his game to the next level after putting in time in the weight room this summer. The Free Press named him the #1 player in the state along with plenty of fluff. He’s had a couple of freak injuries over the last couple years that have limited him but worked out all summer with Central Michigan and is ready to go. Here’s what his coach had to say:

“He’s a high-quality young man. An awesome kid; his family and school are important,” Taylor said. “He’s respectful to the people that are around him. He’s definitely a coach’s son in the way he acts. I think he has been raised and encouraged in the way of how to treat people. As a player, his basketball IQ is very high. He has an understanding of where he needs to be on the floor. We can play him anywhere from point guard to in the post.”

Mount Pleasant fell to Saginaw Arthur Hill Friday night by a score of 73-51 although Trey came close to a triple double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.

Scout has an update with Trey on his recruitment ($) as well. Trey was in East Lansing for Michigan State’s blow out of Alcorn State.

Moses Morgan

Morgan had a solid outing Friday night with 32 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in a 78-71 win. Morgan hit all 16 of his free throw attempts including 6 in the last 30 seconds. Morgan’s solid play is not going unnoticed this year:

“You’ve got to live and die with a kid like that,” Palo Verde coach Jermone Riley said. “He means so much to the program and he means so much to the team with his leadership. Not only that, he’s just a great character kid. It’s always great to have a player like that.”

Will Regan

Will Regan led Nichols Academy past Williamsville South in the AdPro Monsignor Martin-ECIC Challenge on Thursday. I’m not even going to try to explain the name. Regan had 21 points (10-11 FT) and 17 boards including two free throws with 35 seconds left that gave Nichols the win, 55-54.

Nichols Academy fell to Niagara Falls on Saturday night by a score of 57-56. Regan led Nichols with 21 points but they fell just short of pulling off the win. Regan hit a big three pointer that put Nichols ahead 56-55 with 1:48 remaining before missing a tough hook shot that would have won the game for Nichols in the closing seconds.

Cameron Ayers

Northstar Basketball has the latest on Cameron Ayers’ recruitment and it seems like he is still pretty open. Cameron says that he doesn’t have any offers yet but his favorite schools are:

I like Georgetown, Michigan, West Virginia, and Clemson probably the best, and I like Georgia Tech. I haven’t visited any yet though.” Ayers said he will take some visits, “whenever [he] gets some free time, which I hope is real soon” but he added, “but with basketball it gets pretty hectic, so whenever I get some available time.”

Ayers’ Germantown team was upset last week by Friends Central 53-40 but bounced back Saturday night with an overtime win over Mercersberg. Ayers had 17 points in the 60-53 victory.

Tim Hardaway Jr.

Hardaway Jr. had 23 in Palmetto’s 76-67 loss to Coral Reef on Tuesday night. Palmetto rebounded with a 74-58 win over Homestead on Thursday night (no stats).

Austin Carroll

See the above updates on McLimans and Worcester.

Josh Herbeck & Eso Akunne (pref. walk on)

Gabriel Richard is off to a hot start with wins over Divine Child (60-47) and Orchard Lake St. Marys (70-66).

Akunne was strong in both contests, he posted 22 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists, and blocks against Divine Child and managed to out do himself against OLSM. Eso matched Dion Sims’ scoring total is 23 points but added 16 rebounds and 10 assists for the triple double.

Josh Herbeck, another Michigan target at Gabriel Richard, posted 15 points against Divine Child and added 20 against Orchard Lake.

Gabriel Richard moved up a division after making it to the Breslin in division 3 last year and they are already off to a good start.

2011 + Younger

Brandan Kearney and Percy Gibson

Sophomores Brandan Kearney and Percy Gibson led Southeastern past Central HS on Tuesday by a score of 50-37. These kids are only sophomores but they are already proving that they are big time prospects. My favorite place for PSL hoops info, City Hoops, was on hand and they have plenty. Here are some highlights.

Brandan Kearney:

Kearney got to the basket on a nice dribble-drive for the first points of the night, then got his own shot a few times and missed, and was relatively quiet shooting the ball the rest of the night. That’s not to say he wasn’t active. Kearney was everywhere on both ends, feeding teammates (five assists), grabbing boards (six), blocking shots (three) and scooping up loose balls. On a night where his shot wasn’t dropping early, Kearney helped his team extend its margin by setting up his talented teammates.

Percy Gibson:

Gibson, 6-foot-7, was nothing short of a monster against an undersized Central team, grabbing 15 boards and blocking four shots. He scored six, and while some hyped big men are flagged more on potential, Gibson will have no trouble producing this year for his team.

Kearney led Southeastern past 2012 PG sensation Ray Lee and Robichaud Friday night. Kearney had 19 points and Gibson added 16 as well as 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. Robichaud went with the zone early in the game and Kearney made them pay by hitting some 3 pointers.

Kearney and Gibson have been to numerous Michigan football games, basketball games, and camps and they are definitely two to keep close watch of in the class of 2011.

Matt Poches

Poches was in Ann Arbor for the Duke game Saturday but he was ready to get to work when Hartland’s season tipped off last week against Linden. Hartland dominated the game and Poches finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 steals in only 20 minutes of work.

Patrick Lucas-Perry

We talk plenty about Laval Lucas-Perry around here but one name that hasn’t gotten much play is Patrick Lucas-Perry. Laval’s younger brother helped Flint Powers to a win over Flint Northwestern last week. PLP added 18 points including 6 free throws in the final 31.5 seconds. Northwestern kept it close down the stretch and PLP kept his cool:

“I just tried to keep my composure out there, stay focused and just make sure I’m going to make these shots,” Lucas-Perry said. “I kept telling myself, ‘These are going in. These are going in.’”

PLP was held to 6 points in a 76-70 Friday night loss to Flint Carman-Ainsworth.

Right now I would definitely put PLP on my ones to watch list.

Commitments

Darius Morris

Darius and his Windward team are playing in the Westchester Tournament. They squeaked through their first contest on Tuesday 59-52 over Morningside.

Windward was knocked off by the host school, Westchester, 72-52. The LA Times reports that Darius struggled at times with Westchester’s pressure defense. Windward had a consolation match up with Bishop Montgomery and lost 62-61.

I can’t find any stats on Darius but it definitely seems like a rough start for a Windward team that includes Morris and UCLA bound Anthony Stover. Windward will face Inglewood this Wednesday.

Matt Vogrich

Lake Forest got off to a quick start with wins over Rich South (61-48) and Niles West (63-55). The Scouts have been led by Matt Vogrich in every game. Vogrich posted 20 and 13 aganst Rich South and 29 against Niles west before only managing 19 points in an overtime loss to Glenbrook North. Vogrich was also named to the Niles West Thanksgiving all tournament team.

Vogrich led the Scouts to a 48-36 win over Libertyville Friday night. Vogrich had 20 points and 6 rebounds as the Lake Forest escaped after nearly blowing a 36-18 lead.

Blake McLimans

McLimans’ Worcester Academy opened their season with a 106-95 win over Hotchkiss. McLimans posted 7 points in the win and looked like he was still adjusting to playing with a new team.

Worcester knocked off the New Hampton school Saturday by a score of 84-74. Blake put up 11 points and had some nice drives to the rack early and also had a couple blocks in the second half.

From what I understand, Worcester has four players 6’9″ and above including a returning player (Ben Crenca) so it seems like all of the big men are doing some adjusting. Another Michigan recruit, 2010 guard Austin Carroll had a big night on Saturday, going for 30 points while hitting 6 threes.

Worcester is in action this week on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Jordan Morgan

Morgan’s season tips off tonight against against Detroit Community (7:30 PM @ UofD).

Recruits

Allen Payne

Payne speaks on his visit ($) with Go Blue Wolverine. Payne’s season starts Tuesday with a game against Hughes High School (7:30PM @ Winton Woods HS).

Tim Hardaway Jr.

Hardaway was on campus Saturday but has also played several high school games already this year.

Hardaway Jr.’s Palmetto squad fell to Southridge Friday by a score of 59-55. They blew a 12 point halftime lead but Hardaway Jr. had 21 points and 2 three pointers.

Will Regan

Encouraging recruiting update from Rivals ($) and another update from Scout ($). Regan’s Nichols School team got off to a quick start with wins over Maryvale (71-49) and Grover (80-75 OT) to win the Al Pastor Tournament. Regan posted 23 points in Nichols’ easy victory over Maryvale. He was named the tournament MVP after scoring 26 points in the overtime final against Grover.

The Nichols School plays December 11th against Williamsville South and December 13th against Niagara Falls High.

Cameron Ayers

Cameron’s Germantown team won a pair of games this weekend, knocking off Gilman (55-26) and Landon (78-71).  Earlier in the week they also handled Perkiomen 72-33.  Here is a profile of Germantown’s loaded squad.

Germantown plays Wednesday versus Friends Central and tips off the Make A Wish Tournament Friday night.

Note: If you have a link or box score that I missed don’t hesitate to leave it in the comments or send me an email.

Michigan:

• The Hoops Report | Bracketology
  We’re in! (with 26 games to go)
• Court Vision with C.J. Lee: November is Over, Time to Keep Going Forward
  “November is over now, so we need to go into Maryland with the mindset that we are 0-0. We need everyone this week to be prepared to give their all when their number is called.”
• Savannah State 57 – Bowling Green 54
  Halftime Score: Bowling Green 35 -14
• Michigan Daily Photo Gallery: Savannah State vs. Michigan
  Some good shots form the Savannah State game
• Andy Reid: Why Sims should start
  The Great Debate
• Michigan women win tournament title
  Womens hoops team moves to 4-2
• MSU falls to No. 13 in AP poll; U-M receives votes
  Michigan loses a couple votes in both polls.
• Borton’s Blog: Beilein provides slam-dunk guidance ($)
  How Beilein handled Zack’s missed dunk
  
• Next Level: GVSU GLIAC W
  Our old friends K’Len Morris and Jerret Smith

Recruiting:

• 12-02 Recruiting Roundup
  Sam Webb talks recruiting including DaShonte Riley and many others including who plans to be on campus Saturday.
• 12-01 Recruiting Roundup
  More from Sam Webb including some Sykes talk.
• News and Notes
  Lou Dawkins reports Riley is interested in U-M. At this point I’d expect Michigan to keep their options open and see what happens down the road.
• Carroll Plans For Prep Year ($)
  As expected Austin Carroll is prepping, some interesting quotes about his recruitment though.
• Class A preview
  Michigan high school hoops preview from SBell
• Class A contenders at Lansing Eastern
  Preseason scrimmage notes on: Kearney, Marcotullio, and Gibson
• Vogrich Leads Lake Forest with 29,20, and 19 in first three games
  High school hoops season is upon us. I’ll probably try to streamline high school/recruiting posts during the season.

Big Ten/ACC Challenge:

• Here come the Dukies
  Huge game coming up in West Lafayette and a chance for the Boilers to make a statement. Off the Tracks and Purdue fans across the country are fired up.
• Meeting the Challenge
  Big win for the Badgers in Blacksburg in what turned out to be a crazy game.
• Spartans preparing for UNC’s best
  Sounds like Suton is a no-go according to Izzo. Could be a rough night for the Spartans.
• 2008 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Preview
  Crispin and Cream breaks down the challenge
• Preview: Ohio State vs. #22 Miami, FL
• ACC/Big Ten Challenge Begins Tonight
  Fan House has another preview (HT: Spartansweblog)

• A top talent emerging in Detroit ($)
  Isaiah Sykes, 2010 guard out of Finney High. Big time talent.
• Crump Ticketed For Big 12
  Crump to Baylor if you were wondering…
• Have the Wolverines Slipped with Zeigler? ($)
• Pre-Pre Season Michigan Stop Teams
  Lou Dawkins looks at Saginaw High and Country Day
• Beilein was at Worcester Academy (also the home of Blake McLimans) checking out Austin Carroll this past week.